Time to head to the basement. The key here is to add a few touches to make it feel, well, not like a basement. Even though we’re building from scratch, we still have limitations. The ceiling height isn’t nearly as high here. The lighting is nothing like in the rest of the house. But to compensate, we’re going to fill this space with tons of creative stuff that will make it a place where we’ll love to hang out (or at least I hope so).

Below: Play tunnels, globes, maps on the walls, and other inspiration care of ivillage.

I love the idea of putting a built-in bench below our window, like that seen below. I’d upholster the seat cushion in a fun fabric – perhaps something by Raoul Textiles or Hable Construction (stay tuned for an upcoming posting on fabrics).